Secondary chopping unit, self feeder mounted



2,881,815 SECONDARY CHOPPING UNIT, SELF FEEDER MOUN'IQED April 14, 1959 1.. l. CRUMLEY I Filed Oct. 22. 1956 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

. rroe L/aya //w dram/2y BY v 4 L. l. CRUMLEY April 14, 1959 SECONDARY CHOPPING UNIT, SELF FEEDER MOUNTED ZSheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 22, 1956 2,881,815 SECONDARY CHOPPING'UNIT, SELF FEEDER MOUNTED,

Kans., assignor to Archer- Lloyd Ira Crumley, Fredonia,

Minneapolis, MllllL, a

Daniels-Midland Company, corporation of Delaware Application October 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,513 2 Claims. 01.146-119 This invention relates and more particularly to hay such as alfalfa, into dehydration. v

v In the field to which the instant invention relates, it is common practice to field-chop alfalfa and other hay products prior to dehydration, .but in practice, the dehydration process has been relatively expensive and time consuming and the end product has not been entirely satisfactory because of the inability of the field choppers to divide the hay into sufficiently small particles.

It is the most important object of the instant invention, therefore, to provide apparatus capable of quickly, inexpensively and efliciently reducing the chopped hay to apparatus for dividing chopped finely divided particles prior to a proper particle size immediately prior to dehydration and following the field chopping operations.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a material handling machine that is entirely automatic in its operation by virtue of the fact that it re- I quires merely unloading of the chopped hay onto a continuously moving conveyor that in turn feeds the material to the cutter means of a rotatable chopper disposed to act upon the chopped hay While the same is advanced by the conveyor and as it emanates from the discharge end of the conveyor.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a secondary chopping unit for alfalfa hay and the like operable in conjunction with a conveyor in themanner aforementioned so as to minimizehand-ling of the mate:

rial by virtue of the fact that it is chopped on the conveyor as above indicated, and further, because of the fact that the finely divided particles are thereupon immediately collected from the chopper and the conveyor for final advancement from a receiver toward or directly into the dehydrator.

A still further important object of the instant invention is the provision of a pair of conveyors operable in conjunction with a chopper 'n a manner to permit accurate determination of particle size simply by variance in the speed of rotation of the continuous conveyor which advances the chopped hay to the cutter blades of the chopping unit. I

Additional features of the present invention relate to important details of construction and novel arrangement of parts, all of which will be made clear or become apparent as the following specification.progresses, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a secondary chopping unit, self feeder mounted, made pursuant to, my present invention, parts being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, transverse, vertical cross-sectional view taken on line II-ll of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one of the chopping units of the chopper, together with one of the mounting plates for attaching the cutter units to the chopping drum.

to a material handling machine,

. pin 54, there being a pin v 2. As above indicated,

scribed and illustrated in the drawings,has been designed particularly for handling chopped alfalfa hay and similar 2 and designated by the numeralproducts shown in Fig. 10;- Preferably, the machine is located next, adjacent, or in close proximity to a dehydrator to the end that the finished product may be fed to a secondary conveyor or forming a part of the dehydrator.

. The hay' is normally cut and immediately chopped in- .the field and the secondary chopping unit of the instant invention is designed to, receive such chopped hay 10 Conveyor 12 is provided with -an uppermost flight 20 thatreceives the material 10 and conveyor 12 is advantageously provided with a plurality of spaced cross elements 22 secured to'the chains 14 thereof. 1

It is to be particularly noted that the discharge end of conveyor 12 is disposed directlybeneath a chopper broadly designated by the numeral 24 and mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis and substantially parallel to and directly abovethe axis of rotation ofshaft 18. The chopper 24 is partially covered by or enclosed within an elongated, horizontal drum or cylinder 26, having end walls, one of which can be seen in Fig. 2 and designated by the numeral 28.

of the chopper 24 and to which isoperably connected belt and pulley means or the like 32 for driving the chopper 24- from a suitable prime mover not shown.

In addition to the shaft 30, chopper 24 includes plurality of outwardly facing, longitudinal channel beams 34 in spaced parallelism sive in length therewith.

to the shaft 30 and coexten- The, channel beams 34 are supported by a number of radial arms 36 connected with the drum 26 and is provided at its periphery throughout the length thereof with a plurality of chopper sections,44, each ofwhich includes a medium of a number of mountingplates 48. -Each mounting plate 48 has an innermost end 50 of reduced width that fits into the channel beam 34 and is Welded or otherwise permanently affixed thereto. Certain .of the plates 48 are provided with a pairof opposed bearings'52 firmly attached to opposite faces thereof which journala tively.

Cutter units 46 include elongated bars 56 each having:

an opening 58 receiving the pin 54. Thebearings 52 serve as spacers for proximal bars 56 and additional spacers 60 are threaded on the pins v54 as best seen in.

Figure 1.

Each bar 56is cutters 62 rigidly attached to opposite faces thereof at the outermost terminal ends of the bars 56, it being noted that the cutters 62 diverge as the outermost apex ends thereof are approached. Rivets or other fasteners 64 Patented Apr. 14,1959

the machine about to be l 1e directly into the dehydrator, to a suitable feeder means the point of, dehydration;

best seen in Fig. 2. 12 is provided with,- about sprocket wheels 16 ,1

The'said end walls of the drum 26 support an elongated, horizontal shaft 30 forming a part and the braces 38,

number of chopping units 46 that are secured to the channel. beams 34 through the 54 for each section 44 respec-.

in turn provided witha pairof triangular-:1

The width of: conveyor 12' is preferably equal to the length of a clearance opening 66 formed-in the drum 26 and such opening 66 is in length with the drum 26'.

the bottom and along one discharge. head of conveyor turn preferably coextensive in Opening 66 is disposed along 12, thereby exposing a substantialportion of the. chopper 24'tothe material 10 being fed thereto by conveyor 12. The clearance opening 66 also extends beyond the discharge end of conveyor 12 a distancesufii'cient to clear the astit emanates from the chopping units 46 and'from the discharge endofconveyor 12. A suitable trough, hopper or hood 68 embracing the conveyor 12 and communicating with the-opening 66 of drum 26, may be provided to guide the material 10 as it is conveyor 12.

It is desirable also that the finely divided hay 10k: be

collected by a hollow receiver 70 at least coextensive in length with the opening 66 and with the width of the conveyor 12. Receiver 70 communicates directly with-opening 66 and partially underlies the conveyor 12 atits'discharge end and is provided with conveyor means 72 extending longitudinally thereof and desirably taking the form of. an anger 74. One end of the receiver- 70isopen at'the discharge end of the conveyor 72 andmay register directlywith a dehydrator (not shown) or with additional'conveyor means for advancing the chopped material 10a from the receiver 70 onto the dehydrator. Any

suitable means (not illustrated) may be provided for continuously driving the conveyor 12 and the conveyor 72. While in some instances, it may be necessary or desirable toprovide for means to individually vary the speeds of" rotation of the conveyor 12, the chopper 24 and the conveyor 72, it is highly desirabl'eto vary the speed of the conveyor 12. By so doing, the rate of feeding of the material 10 to the chopper 24 may be varied, Which'in turn determines in part the particle size of the material 10a collected by receiver 70.

For the most part, the chopped hay 10'is subdivided into smaller particles while the conveyor 12 and prior to discharge from the conveyor 12 intothereceiver 70. However, the rotating chopper 24 will manifestly tend tocarry some of the material 10 therewith as the chopper 24 rotates anti-clockwise viewing Fig. 2, and'such carried material is confined within the drum-26 for ultimate discharge into the receiver 70. Inany-evengby-virtue' of the novel construction of the chopper 24 itself, there will'be little, if any, entanglement of the material 10 within the chopper 24 since the tube 24' housesnot only the shaft 30 but the supporting arms 36 means 38. The outermost 62 are-preferably disposed in close proximity to the inner circularsurface of the drum-26 to cut away any tendency of the material to collect and cake on the drum 26-therewithin;

and the structural reinforcing apex en'ds of the cutters The provision of the large number of spaced-apart striking cutters 62 throughout the length of the cutter 24 the material 10 transversely thereof, assures the sub-dividingof'virtually every particle of the chopped hay10, each of which is actually contacted and severed several times during advancement tothe discharge end of the conveyor 12' it is to be noted that the downward and inward striking force ofthe the-sections 44" of each beam side of the drum 26 above-the finely divided-material 10a 1 fed to the.chopper 24 by" same is supported by-the' and into the receiver 70. In this respect,

cutters 62 upon the material 10, as it moves 1 without operator attention.

access panel 76 and drum 26 cylindrical drum thereof, a chopper mounted within the drum, said chopshaft supported shaft; arrnsrigidly interconnecting each 'With said shaft; arcuate segments joining said members .and a pair of cutters; 'tively, the chopping into the opening 66, and as the heavily packed chopped hay 10-issupported by the conveyor 12, eliminates undue loosening and scattering ofe the material which would otherwise tend to cause the "same to be carried around the drum 26 Without being subjected to the cutting action of the cutters 62 prior to discharge into the receiver 70.

It is apparent also, that the machine is entirely automatic and may 'be' placed-in: use for continuous operation However, the operating parts are all rendered accessiblefor clearing and/ or other attention as may be that the receiver 70 is provided" with a hingedlymounted is similarly provided witha swingable' access section 78,.v

Having thus described the, invention what is claimed as new and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a material handling machine having a hollow, provided With walls closing the ends per comprising a horizontal, rotatable by saidend walls; a plurality of outwardly facing, longitudinal channel members in spaced parallelism with said of said members whereby to form a tube having a continuous outer wall; a plurality of mounting plates seated within and secured to each of saidmembers respectively; chopper sections member respec- "tively,each of said sections being circumferentially off carried by the mounting plates of each set with respect to the sections carried by the mounting. plates of the'next adjacent member and her of chopping units, each of said units having a bar units-of each section being swing ably mounted on. their corresponding pins.

2; In a material handlingmachine having a hollow, I cylindrical drum provided with end walls, a chopper .mounted'within the drum, said chopper comprising a horizonta'l; rotatable shaft supported by said end Walls; a plurality of outwardly facing,

parallelism with respect thereto; radial arms rigidly interconnecting each of said members with said shaft; braces for said. arms; arcuate. segments'joining said members whereby to form a tube having a continuous, imperforate outer wall, said arms and said braces being disposed" within the tube; a plurality of mounting plates seated each of saidsections being circumrespect to the sections carried by member respectively, ferentially' offset with the mounting plates having a bar and a pair ofopposed, triangular cutters rigidly attachedto the outermost end of the bar; and a pin for each section respectively,

- sponding pin.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES-PATENTS France July 8, 190.7

desired, or necessary by virtue of the fact-- including a numanda. pin foreach section respeclongitudinal channel members co-extensive in length with'said shaft and in spaced of the next adjacent member and including a number of chopping units, each of said units the chopping units of. each section beingswingably mounted on their corre 

